Arsenal 0 - Swansea 2: Magic Michu punishes the Gunners

GAMES like this separate Arsenal from the Premier League title contenders.

An afternoon with plenty of possession and territorial advantage ended in disaster as magnificent Michu bagged a late brace to allow Swansea to leapfrog the Gunners in the table into seventh spot.

Yet you just sense that either Manchester United or City, given the same scenario, would have found a way to break the Welsh club’s stubborn resistance before Swansea’s late, late show which resulted in goals in the 88th minute and injury-time.

It’s seven long years without a trophy for the Emirates faithful and on this evidence you can see why.

Prior to kick-off more than 1,000 Arsenal supporters from the group, ‘The Black Scarf Movement’ embarked on a planned protest.

It was claimed the stand was not against manager Arsene Wenger but against the way the club is run.

Swansea have shown Arsenal that you do not need to spend big to be a success in the top-flight during their 18-month stay

But Swansea have shown Arsenal that you do not need to spend big to be a success in the top-flight during their 18-month stay.

You only have to look at goalscoring sensation Michu, who Arsenal looked at last summer, but decided not to pursue their interest in the £2million bargain from Rayo Vallecano. The midfielder-cum-striker now has 11 goals this season.

The visitors, fresh from disposing of high-flying West Bromwich Albion in midweek, started brightly, Angel Rangel forced Wojciech Szczesny into a smart double save in the 14th minute after Ki Sung-Yueng left Mikel Arteta trailing.

For all Arsenal’s possession in the opening half hour, Swansea created the chance of the first period when Rangel’s diagonal pass was flicked on by Michu into the path of the onrushing Nathan Dyer, who was foiled by a Thomas Vermaelen tackle.

Jonathan de Guzman also skimmed the top of Szczesny’s crossbar with a free-kick.

Arsenal came out firing in the initial exchanges of the second half.

Jack Wilshere continued to probe from the centre of midfield and a jinking run was accompanied by a neat pass to playmaker Santi Cazorla whose shot well handled by Gerhard Tremmel.

Both sides carved out chances as the game began to open up with Tremmel saving from Cazorla’s deflected effort from range, but Rangel tested the reflexes of Szczesny at his near post.

Wenger attempted to change his side’s fortunes with a double attacking change, introducing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Olivier Giroud for the anonymous Gervinho and Podolski. It didn’t work.

Referee Mark Clattenburg enjoyed a quiet afternoon for large parts, but was called on to make a correct big decision late on.

Giroud seemed to nip in after Chico hesitated, but the centre-back recovered to get a toe on the ball ahead of the Frenchman.